Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli held a conference call today to discuss his team’s upcoming playoff series with Montreal, but at one point the talk turned to rookie Tyler Seguin.

The 19-year-old speedster produced 11-11-22 totals in 73 games and 12:12 of average ice time. When asked to assess Seguin’s development, Chiarelli said:

“You know, I’m relatively satisfied with the development. You have to put it in the context of his age and put it in the context of he’s an individual who I think has seen that he has to grow in certain areas on and off the ice. He’s a real good kid. He’s going to, my guess is, that he won’t start in the lineup for the playoffs. I hope that he finds his way into it. The play is going to ramp up in the playoffs.

“Had he gone back to juniors, the areas where he had to get better would have been left dormant and so he had to play this year and face those areas head on. [He’s a] terrifically talented kid with speed. He has to learn to make these plays that he can do and we’ve seen these plays all the time. So I’m relatively satisfied. Tyler is a good kid and he’s going to get better.”

When pressed on whether Seguin was too good to go back and play another year of junior hockey, Chiarelli answered in the affirmative.

“Yeah, I mean he had 60 [goals] his draft year. He might have had 75, 80 this past year,” said the GM. “The areas where he has to get better, you don’t get better unless you’re playing against those bigger, stronger players.”

stamkos had a ridiculous offseason training program and changed basically everything about his life.. i forget who his trainer was but it was an ex-nhler and a hardass .. seguin should do this and i hope he has the drive to want to do this

Not quite sure I think he will come back ripped, as that really depends from person to person how quickly someone can put on and keep muscle. But I agree he will come back bigger, or taste the sting of an AHL assignment. I really really hope he comes back ripped.

I think he’s absolutely right. His toughness and play in the corners is what he needs to improve on the most, and he wouldn’t have been exposed to either of those in juniors. I still think he’ll be a star in the league, just not for another couple of years.